Wetlands and Water: The Facts We are in a growing water crisis that threatens people and our planet. We use more water than nature can replenish, and are destroying the ecosystem that water and all life depend on most - Wetlands.
What wetlands do Fresh and saltwater wetlands sustain humanity and nature. They support our social and economic development through multiple services:
Store and clean water
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Wetlands hold and provide most of our fresh water. • They naturally filter pollutants, leaving water we can safely drink.
Keep us fed
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Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector, while inland fisheries alone provided 12 million tonnes of fish in 2018. • Rice paddies feed 3.5 billion people annually.
Underpin our global economy
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Wetlands, the most valuable ecosystem, provide services worth US $47 trillion a year. • More than one billion people rely on wetlands for income.
Provide nature a home
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40% of the world’s species live and breed in wetlands. Annually, about 200 new fish species discovered in freshwater wetlands. • Coral reefs are home to 25% of all species.
Keep us safe
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Wetlands provide protection from floods and storms with each acre of wetland absorbing up to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater. • Wetlands help regulate the climate: peatlands store twice as much carbon as forests, with saltmarshes, mangroves and seagrass beds also holding vast amounts of carbon.
We have a finite amount of water and our current use is unsustainable 3 Freshwater Facts •
Only 2.5% of water on Earth is fresh water, mostly stored in glaciers, ice caps and underground aquifers
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Less than 1% of freshwater is usable Rivers and lakes hold 0.3% of surface water
Freshwater Consumption We use 10 billion tons of water every day:
• 70% used for food cultivation • 22% consumed by industry and energy • Water use increased sixfold in 100 years and rises by 1% annually
Water crisis
Wetland loss impact
Population growth, urbanization and consumption patterns have put unbearable pressure on wetlands and the water in them:
Our water consumption means less water for nature. Wetland loss and pollution has intensified a water crisis threatening all life:
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Almost all global freshwater sources are compromised with 82% of the world’s population exposed to high levels of pollution in their water supply.
• Nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands lost since 1700’s,
• 2.2 billion people don’t have safe drinking water with
• 25% of all wetland species and 1 in 3 freshwater
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Water equivalent to the annual flow of the Volga River, Europe’s longest river, is squandered in 1.3 billion tons of food wasted from farm to fork each year.
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Water insecurity was a key factor in conflict in at least 45 countries in 2017.
an annual economic cost amounting to $260 billion.
those remaining are disappearing three times faster than forests. species face extinction.
Climate change is reducing surface and groundwater in already dry regions, resulting in increasing competition for water.
• 14% more water is needed to produce 70% more food by 2050 for 10 billion people.
Five solutions We could have enough water for nature and us if we: • Stop destroying, start restoring wetlands • Don’t dam rivers or over extract from aquifers • Address pollution, clean up freshwater sources • Increase water efficiency, use wetlands wisely • Integrate water and wetlands into development plans and resource management
South Africa integrating water management Identifying and understanding the value of 22 strategic water sources fundamental to South Africa’s water and economic needs has led to nearly 50 integrated water interventions aiming to increase water quantity, improve water quality and expand economic development. Although the water sources cover only 8% of land area, they provide half the country’s surface water that supports 51% of the population and 64% of the economy. Interventions include:
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Integrating wetlands and built infrastructure into water management to better serve Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
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Conserving the Umzimvubu River system from source to sea through restoration and management while supporting economic development.
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Improving water quality of the Berg River supplying water-stressed Cape Town and surrounding agricultural areas exporting 70% of produce to Europe.
ramsar@ramsar.org www.worldwetlandsday.org
#RestoreWetlands
UK’s model wetland restoration Europe’s largest coastal wetland restoration, a 670-hectare waterscape of saltmarshes, lagoons and mudflats at Wallasea Island, was designed as a long-term flood defence with climate change and rising sea levels in mind. A model nature-based solution with active human management, the wetlands were restored on reclaimed farmland using 3 million tonnes of waste London clay. The saltmarshes absorb waves, reducing pressure on ancient sea walls, while sluices control water levels within the lagoons enhancing wildlife habitat. The restoration recovers some of the 30,000 ha of Essex saltmarshes lost over 25 years providing £1 billion worth of coastal flood defences in the UK. These saltmarshes also lock up large stores of carbon.